Display and dispensing cabinet



May 17, 1966 L. w. HEIN 3,251,636

DISPLAY AND DISPENSING CABINET Filed Oct. 22, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 VENT 11-7727? Will/A lll AT 7' ORA E75 May 17, 1966 L. w. HEW 3,251,636

DISPLAY AND DISPENSING CABINET Filed Oct. 22, 1962 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. ES TE WILLIAM )IEI A TTOIPIVEYJ May 17, 1966 L. w. HEIN DISPLAY AND DISPENSING CABINET Filed Oct. 22, 1962 INVENTOR. LESTER WILLIAM HEIIV A TTORIYEYS' United States Patent 3,251,636 DISPLAY AND DISPENSING CABINET Lester William Hein, 1526 E. Alton, Independence, Mo. Filed Oct. 22, 1962, Ser. No. 231,895 5 Claims. (Cl. 312-122) This invention relates to cabinets, and more particularly to'an improved construction of cabinets for display and dispensing of articles.

In food and refreshment dispensing locations, it is desirable to have cups, cones and like refreshment containers or other articles being dispensed arranged to provide ready access by the clerks or servers, and also to have at least some of such articles arranged whereby they are readily visible to the customers. It is also desirable to protect displayed articles from dust or other contamination in order to facilitate maintaining sanitary conditions.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide a cabinet adapted to contain a plurality of articles in an enclosed readily accessible space with transparent portions providing a ready view of at least some of the contained articles by a customer; to provide such a structure with a movable closure member readily operable to permit access to the displayed articles; to provide such a structure with a movable article support that is movable outwardly relative to the access opening to facilitate access to the displayed articles to be dispensed; to provide such a structure with a closure member having cooperating engaging portions and portions engaging the movable support forming substantially dust-free seals and also permitting movement of the article support only when the closure member is moved to open position; to provide such a cabinet with a sliding drawer for containing other articles with the drawer below the article support and engageable stop portions on the article support and drawer to normally limit relative movement thereof; to provide such a cabinet structure in which the closure member, movable article support and drawer are all easily removable for cleaning, thereby facilitating main- Patented May 17, 1966 is easily cleaned and maintained. In the structure illustrated, a base frame 7 is suitably secured to the inside of the rear and side walls at the lower edges thereof, said frame being preferably of metal of angle crosssection and having a connecting portion 8 -at the lower front of the cabinet. There is also a rear outside frame 9 preferably of angle cross-section metal members secured to the outer face of the rear wall 5, the inner faces of the side walls 2 and 3 at the rear thereof with upper and lower transverse members 10 and 11 respectively to form a connected rectangular frame. The member 11 cooperates with the base frame 7 to provide asupporting structure adapted to rest on the surface of a counter or the like. An inner upper frame 12 preferably of metal members of angle cross-section extends around and is connected to the inner surfaces of the side walls 2 and 3, rear wall 5 and front wall portion 6, and also to the top wall 4 to close the joints and secure the respective walls together, for decorative purposes and added strength. It is preferred that an upper outer frame 13 also of metal members of angle crosssection be artenance of sanitary conditions .in the cabinet; and to provide a cabinet structure that is economical to manufacture, capable of containing and protecting a large number of articles while providing easy access thereto and yet only require a small area of counter space or the like.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth by Way of illustration and example certain embodiments of this invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cabinet embodying the features of the present invention with portions broken away to illustrate a closure member guide.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the cabinet with the drawer in open position, taken on the line 2--2, FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the cabinet taken on the line 3-3, FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cabinet with the article support and drawer in open position.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the movable article support with articles nested thereon.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

The reference numeral 1 generally designates a cabinet particularly adapted to contain food or food-containing 'articles for convenient display and dispensing. The

cabinet in the illustrated structure consists of connected side walls 2 and 3, top wall 4, rear wall 5 and an upper front wall portion 6, said walls being connected together to form tight joints and being of suitable material such as glass, plastic or the like having a surface or finish that ranged outwardly of the upper portions of said walls and the top wall and engage same, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 t0 3 inclusive. While the metal frame members and wall members may be secured together in any conventional manner, it is preferred that they be secured together at contacting surfaces by suitable adhesive or cement to provide an attractive structure without exposed fastening devices. An angle member 14 is arranged at each of the front corners and extends vertically for the height of the cabinet, the angle members 14 having one leg 15 engaging the outer side of the front margin of the side walls 2 and 3 and another leg 16 extending inwardly in overlying relation to the front wall portion 6, said leg 16 extending downwardly from the lower edge 17 of the-front wall portion 6 with the inner edges 18 of the'leg 16 cooperating with the edge 17 in defining a front access opening 19 to an upper compartment 20 of the cabinet. The legs 16 terminate as at 21 in spaced relation to the bottom of the cabinet for a purpose as later described. The legs 15 of the angle members 14 extend to the bottom of the cabinet, and it is preferred that a strip 22 be arranged at the lower outer margins of the side walls 2 and 3 to cooperate with the angle members 14 and the top frame 13 to protect the edges of the side wall members and also enhance theappearance of the sides of the cabinet.

A track member 23 preferably of channel shape is mounted on the inside surfaces of the side walls 2 and 3' adjacent the base frame 7 with each of said channel members having a web 24 suitably secured by fastening devices such as screws 25 to said walls 2 and 3 with upper and lower flanges 26 and 27 extending inwardly therefrom to aid in supporting a drawer structure 28 at the lower part of the cabinet, as later described. The cabinet is also provided with an intermediate frame 29 preferably of metal of angle cross-section and generally the same as the frame 7 except being inverted which is secured to the inner faces of the side walls 2 and 3 and the rear wall 5 immediately above the drawer 28 whereby the forward member 30 of said frame 29 cooperates with the forward portions of the side walls and base frame member 8 to define a drawer opening 31. A horizontal partition 32 is supported on the intermediate frame 29 and has a slot 33 extending longitudinally relative to the path of movement of the drawer,

are also a plurality of longitudinal partitions 39 spaced apart transversely in the drawer and having edges suitably secured to the rear wall 34, bottom wall 37 and front wall 38. Track members 40 are mounted on the sides of the drawer 28 and extend longitudinally thereof and are adapted to cooperate with the track members 23 to provide sliding support for the drawer 28 in the cabinet 1. In the structure illustrated, the track members 40 are channel shaped with the webs 41 secured by suitable fastening devices 42 to the side walls 35 and 36 with flanges 43 extending outwardly, the lower flange being spaced upwardly from the upper flange 26 of the track member 23. To movably support the drawer on the track members, rollers 44 are secured to the sides of the drawer adjacent the rear thereof and adapted to rollingly engage the flange 27 of the track member 23 with a little clearance between the upper portion of the rollers and the flange 26 whereby the roller will engage the flange 26 in the event the drawer is tilted downwardly at the forward end thereof. Rollers 45 are mounted on brackets 46 adjacent the forward ends of the side walls 2 and 3 and are adapted to roll in the track members 40 with engagement with the flanges 43 thereof to support said drawer in cooperation with the rollers 44. Movable stops 47 are arranged on the bracket 46 to cooperate with stop lugs 48 upstanding from the track members 411 to limit outward movement of the drawer 28, removal of the drawer being permitted by upward movement of the stops 47 whereby the stop members 48 will pass thereby. The front wall 38 of the drawer preferably carries a drawer pull 49. Also, the marginal portions of said front wall project outwardly, upwardly and downwardly from the drawer whereby said marginal portions substantially cover the exposed portion of the base frame member 8, the forward edges of the legs with the upper portion of the wall 38 overlying the frame member 30. This arrangement for substantially closing the forward end of the drawer-receiving opening 31, together with the partition 32, provides substantial closing of the drawer whereby it is adapted to contain articles to be dispensed and protect same while the drawer is closed, but provide easy access thereto when the drawer is open.

An article-supporting member or platform 50 is movably mounted in the compartment 26 above the partition 32, said platform being adapted to support food containers such as cups 51, ice cream cones or the like or other articles to be displayed and dispensed. In the structure illustrated, the platform is particularly adapted to support a plurality of articles in nested, stacked relation to provide for storage and display of a large number of such items and to provide convenient dispensing of the articles as desired. In the structure illustrated, the platform 50 consists of a horizontal panel member 52 having track mem bers 53 mounted on the bottom thereof at the sides, said tracks cooperating with track members 54 mounted on the partition 32. The track member 53 has a depending portion at the rear of said platform for mounting rollers 55 adapted to roll on the track members 54. The forward ends of the track member 54 have rollers 56 adapted to I have the track members 53 movably engage the peripheries thereof whereby said rollers and 56 movably support the platform 50. The forward end of the panel 52 is preferably turned downwardly to provide a front depending flange 57 that has outwardly extending side portions that overlie the forward edges of the legs 15 of the angle members 14. The lower portion of the flange 57 overlies the forward member 31 of the intermediate frame 29 whereby said lower portion of the flange 57 is between said frame member 31 and the upper marginal portion of the front wall 38 of the drawer 28, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

A closure-receiving member 58 is mounted on the forward end of the panel 52 in upstanding relation and has an upwardly opening channel 59 for receiving the lower marginal portion of a closure 66 for-the access opening 19 of the compartment 20. It is preferred that the platform be provided with suitable engagement with articles thereon to prevent accidental damage as would occur if stacks or tiers thereof were knocked over. In storing articles to be dispensed, as for example ice cream cones or cups, such articles are usually tapered whereby they will nest and the lower edges have outwardly extending rims or beads 61 thereon. The panel 52 of the platform 50 has upstanding rails 62 arranged in pairs with each pair having inwardly extending flanges 63 with the spacing between the inner edges of said flanges being such that when an article such as a cup is moved into the space between the rails the rims 61 will be between the flanges 63 and the upper surface of the panel '52 with the inner edges of the flanges 63 slightly spaced from the sides of the cups. This holds the lowermost of the stack of nested cups in place but permits same to be moved longitudinally of the rails. In the structure illustrated, the rails extend from front to rear of the platform and are secured in selected adjusted position as to width by means of clamp members 64 at the forward and rearward ends thereof. In the illustrated structure, the clamp members 64 are angular in cross-section with one leg 65 engaging the upper surface of the panel 52 and the other leg 66 overlying the respective end of the rails. Suitable fastening devices such as bolts 67 and nuts 68 are arranged on the platform 52 and engaged with the leg 65 to draw same toward the platform to clamp the ends of the rails therebetween. This provides an adjustable structure wherein loosening of the bolts and nuts will permit the rails to be moved laterally to adjust the spacing and thereby the size of the cups or other articles to be received therebetween.

The closure member 60 is movably mounted in the cabinet and preferably consist of a plurality of hingedly connected panels 69 of transparent material such as transparent synthetic resin, as for example Lucite or the like, wherein the panels are individually substantially rigid. The closure member panels 69 have extensions 76 and 71 at their upper and lower longitudinal edges that are of lesser thickness than the panels and are adapted to overlap corresponding etxensions of adjacent panels and have sealing engagement therewith when adjacent panels are in coplanar relation. The panels are hingedly connected together by hinge members 72 and said panels have outwardly extending lugs or tongues 73 at their ends which engage in opposed inwardly facing ways 74 formed by track or guide members 75 mounted on the forward portions of the side walls 2 and 3 and the leg 16 of the forward angle members 14, which lower edges are at the upper portion of the channel member 59 whereby the platform 50 can be moved outwardly thereunder. The trackways or guide members 75 preferably have substantially vertical portions 76 along each side of the front opening 19 and horizontal portions 77 fixed to the side walls adjacent to and slightly below the top wall frame 12, the vertical and horizontal portions 76 and 77 of the guide members 75 being connected by arcuate portions 78 to form continuous ways for movement of the panels of the closure member. The rear of the horizontal portion 77 preferably has downwardly curved portions 79 of sufficient length whereby the closure member 60 may be moved upwardly until a pull 80 mounted on the lowermost panel 81 of the closure member engages the lower edge 17 of the front wall member 6. When the closure member is pulled into downward position, the lower edge of the lowermost panel 81 engages in the upwardly facing channel of the member 59 to form a tight seal therewith. The sides of the guide members 75 engage the side edges of the closure member panels to form a seal and a seal member 82 is preferably arranged on the uppermost panel 83 of the closure member 60 to engage the front wall panel 6 when the closure member is in closed position to form a seal across the upper portion thereof.

When access is desired to the compartment 26, the closure member 60 is raised as guided by the guide members 75 to open the access opening 19. A person may then reach through the opening and remove articles from the stacks or tiers thereof. However, usually when articles are desired, articles may also be desired from the drawer 28, and to facilitate access to thearticles 51 when the closure member 60 is in open position, the drawer pull 49 is grasped and the drawer pulled outwardly. A selective interlock is provided between the drawer 28 and the platform 50 whereby when the drawer is pulled approximately half way, the interlock engages and the platform is also pulled outwardly with further movement of the drawer to position the drawer and platform substantially as illustrated in FIG. 4 whereby the articles 51 maybe easily'removed. The interlock in the illustrated structure consists of a depending lug 84 secured to the bottom of the panel 52 in overlying relation to the slot 33. A cooperating lug member 85 is mounted on the' drawer 28 and extends through the slot 33 to engage the lug 84. To permit in.- dependent removal of the drawer and selective release of the lug 85, the lug 85 is pivotally mounted on the drawer 28. In the structure illustrated, the lug 85 is in the form of a screw extending upwardly from a bracket member 86 that has an ear 87 rotatably mounted on a fastening device such as a bolt 88 with a spring 89 holding the ear 87 in engagement with the rear wall 34 of the drawer to provide a friction that normally will hold the lug 85 in selected position and, when it is desired to release the interlock, the lug 85 and the bracket 86 are swung laterally on the fastening device 88 to a position as illustrated in broken lines in FIG. 3. When the drawer and platform are both pulled outwardly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, to return them to their position in the cabinet, the drawer is pushed inwardly and the upper margin of the front wall 38 engaging the flange 57 of the platform will cause the plat form also to return to its position in the cabinet, at which position the closure member 60 can be moved to closed position. If it is desired to have articles only from the drawer, it may be pulled outwardly to a position as illustrated in FIG. 2 without moving the platform, and when the closure member 60 is in closed position and the interlocks positioned in operative position, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the movement of the drawer is limited to from closed position to that shown in FIG. 2 wherein it is only partially opened due to the fact that the platform 50 is held from movement by the engagement-of the closure member 60 with the channel member 58 on said platform.

When it is desired to clean the container, the closure member 60 is ,raised to open position. The interlocking lugs 84 and 85 are disengaged, the stops 47 moved out of the path of the stops 48 and then the drawer 28 pulled outwardly from the cabinet to completely separable relation. The platform then is pulled outwardly and removed from the cabinet. The closure member 60 then may be moved downwardly, moving it out of the lower ends of the guide members 75, leaving only the bare cabinet that can be easily cleaned and, of course, the closure member and platform and drawer being separate can also be easily cleaned. The closure member 60 is then reinserted in the guide members, the platform 50 is moved back to engagement with its respective tracks, and then the drawer 28 returned to its position in the cabinet. The lug 86 is then swung to interlock position and the stops 47 returned to stop position and the closure member 60 moved to closed position whereby the cabinet is then closed and ready for further use, i

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described one form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangement of parts herein described and shown except insofar as such limitations are included in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: 1. A cabinet structure comprising, (a) a casing having connected side, rear and top walls defining a compartment having an open front, (b) a front closure member movably mounted on the casing for movement to and from closing relationship to said front opening,

(c) an article-supporting platform in a lower portion of said compartment with side andrear margins adjacent the side and rear walls of the casing,

(d) cooperating track members on the platform at the side margins thereof and at the side walls of the casing movably supporting said platform for movement to and from said compartment through the front opening, I

(e) upwardly extending abutment means on the platform and extending substantially the width thereof and adapted to receive a portion of the closure membet in abutting engagement when the platform is in the compartment and the closure member is in closed position to retain the platform from movement from the compartment,

(f) a drawer in the casing below said platform,

(g) track members on the casing and drawer including rollers supporting said drawer for movement to and from the casing,

(h) a depending abutment member on the platform,

(i) and abutment means pivotally mounted on the drawer at the rear thereof and movable to a position so that movement of the drawer partially outwardly from the casing through said front opening engages said abutment means with the abutment member on the platform and moves said platform outwardly of the casing on further movement of said drawer from I (-b) a front closure member movably mounted on the I casing for movement of said closure member to and i from closing relationship to said front opening,

(0) an article-supporting platform in a lower portion of said compartment with side and rear margins adjacent the side and rear walls of the casing,

(d) cooperating track members on the platform at the side margins thereof and at the side walls of the casing and having roller members movably supporting said platform for movement to and from said compartment through the front opening,

(e) upwardly extending spaced means on the platform defining a channel therebetween for substantially the width of said platform with a lower edge portion of the closure member received in said channel when the platform is in the compartment and the closure member' is in closed position and said up wardly extending means retains the platform from movement from said compartment,

(f) a drawer in the casing below said platform,

(-g) track members on the casing and drawer including rollers supporting said drawer for movement to and from the oasin r (h) a depending abutment member on the platform, (i) abutment means pivotally mounted on the drawer at the rear thereof and movable to a position so that movement of the drawer partially outwardly from the casing through said front opening engages said abutment means with the abutment member on the platform and moves said platform outwardly of the casing on further movement of said drawer from the casing,

(j) and partition means in said casing between the drawer and platform and having an elongate opening longitudinally of the direction of movement of the drawer through which the abutment means on the drawer extends when in a position to engage the abutment member on the platform.

3. A cabinet structure comprising,

(a) a casing having connected side, rear and top walls defining a compartment having an open front,

( b) guide means on said side walls having opposed inwardly facing channels adjacent the open front 'and top wall, said channels having straight portions at the front and top and connected by curved portions adjacent the upper portion of the open front, said guide means terminating in open channel ends at the bottom thereof,

( o) a front closure memberhavin'g a plurality of transparent panels hingedly connected along their opposite longitudinal edges and having extensions at their upper and lower edges adapted to overlap corresponding extensions of adjacent panels when said panels are in coplanar relation,

(d) means extending from opposite ends of the panels and slidab-ly engaged in said opposed channels for sliding movement of said closure member to and from closing relationship to said front opening,

(e) an upper frontmember engaging said top and side walls and extending downwardly from the top wall in overlying relation and in close proximity to the upper portion of the closure member,

(f) an article supporting platform in a lower portion of said compartment with side and rear margins adjacent the side and rear walls of the casing and a front margin under the closure member,

(g) cooperating track members on the platform at the side margins thereof and at the side walls of the casing and having roller members movably supporting said platform for movement to and from said compartment through the front opening,

(h) upwardly extending channel means on the front margin of the platform engagingly receiving a lower edge portion of the closure member when the platrfiorm is in the compartment and the closure member is in closed position so said engagement retains the platform from movement to and from said compartment,

(i) a drawer in the casing below said platform,

(3') track members on the casing and drawer including rollers supporting said drawer for movement to and ifrom the casing through said open front,

(k) a depending abutment member on the platform,

(1) abutment means pivotally mounted on the drawer at the rear thereof and movable to a position so that movement of the drawer partially from the casing engages said abutment means with the abutment member on the platform and moves said plattform outwardly of the casing on further movement of said drawer from the casing,

(in) partition means in said casing between the drawer and platform and having an opening extending longitudinally of the direction of movement of said drawer. and through which the abutment means on the drawer extends when engaging the abutment member on the platform,

(11) and means on the drawer abutting the platform when the drawer is moved from open position to underlying relation to said platform to move said platform into the casing on further movement of the drawer to closed position in the casing.

4. A cabinet structure comprising,

(a) a casing having connected side, rear and top walls defining a compartment having an open front, (b) an article-supporting member in a lower portion of said compartment,

( o) cooperating guide members fixed relative to side walls of said casing and side margins of the supporting member for mounting the supporting member fior movement to and from the compartment through said front opening,

(d) a closure member slidably mounted on the casing and movable from an upper compartment open position to a lowered compartment closed position,

(e) means on the supporting member and having upstanding portions extending substantially the width of the supporting member and engaged by a lower edge portion of the closure member in abutting rcla- 0 tion when said supporting member is in the compartment and the closure member is in said closed position with said engagement retaining the supporting member from movement relative to said closure member outwardly of said compartment,

(f) a drawer in the casing below said supporting member,

(g) cooperative guide members on the casing and drawer mounting said drawer for movement to and from the casing,

(h) means on the drawer and supporting member engaged when the drawer is partially moved from the leasing to move the supporting member on further movement of said drawer from the casing,

(i) and means on the drawer and supporting member engaged when the drawer is moved from open position to underlying relation with said supporting member to move said supporting member into the casing on further movement of the drawer to closed position in the casing.

5. A cabinet structure comprising,

(a) a casing having connected side, rear and top walls defining a compartment having an open front, (b) guide means on said side walls having opposed inwardly facing channels adjacent the open front and top wall, said channels having straight portions at the front and top and connected by curved portions adjacent the upper portion of the open front, said guide means terminating in open channel ends at the bottom thereof,

( o) a front closure member having a plurality of transparent panels hingedly connected along their opposite longitudinal edges and having extensions at their upper and lower edges adapted to overlap corresponding extensions of adjacent panels when said panels are in coplanar relation, said panel-s having ends slidalbly engaged in said opposed channels for sliding movement of said closure member to and from closing relationship to said front opening,

(d) an arti'clesupporting platform in a lower portion of said compartment with side and rear margins adjacent the side and rear walls of the casing and a front margin under the closure member,

(e) cooperating track members on the platform at the side margins thereof and at the side walls of the casing and having roller members movably supporting said platform for movement to and from said compartment through the front opening,

( f) upwardly extending channel means on the front margin of the platform and extending across the 4 Width thereof and engagingly receiving a lower edge portion of the closure member when the platform is in the compartment and the closure member is in closed position so said engagement retains the platform from movement to and from said compartment, v

(g) laterally spaced upstanding ribs on said platform extending from front to rear thereof adapted to receive articles therebetween,

(h) clamp means on said platform adjacent the front and rear thereof for clamping the ends of the ribs relative to said platform to retain said ribs in selected spaced relation,

(i) a drawer in the casing below said supporting platzfiorm,

(j) cooperative guide means on the casing and drawer mounting said drawer for movement to and from the casing,

(k) and means on the drawer and supporting platform engaged when the drawer is partially moved from the casing to move the supporting platform on further movement of said drawer from the casing.

(References on following page) 9 References Cited by the Examiner 1,663,377 UNITED STATES PATENTS 3 3321 AYI'QS X 3 044 41 6/ 1876 Sohrnittner 312-422 5 8/1876 Keys 312310 X 4/1879 Conant 312297 X 5, 543 3/ 1883 Gordon 312- 31 7/1885 Brewer 312-297 X 5/ 1911 Knaster 312-3 10 X 1-2/1915 Weidenbaum 312310 X 3/1918 Tci heli 312 1'19 12/1919 Spies 312310 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1889 Great Britain.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

10 CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

A. FRANKEL, Assistant Examiner. 

